wusa9.com. breaking news. tonight at 11:00, police say they have solved the brutal mugging of a capitol hillman who was left with brain damage after variance beating. turns out they had the three suspects in custody and let them go. it's a brutal assault on 29- year-old thomas maslin who lay

battered and bloodied. >> the three men arrested allegedly left maslin, then traveled to 18th street where they attacked three other people. it took police more than month to conclude the attacks were committed by the same guys. gary nurenberg is just back from a session with the chief. >> reporter: here's the frustrating thing for the chief. they acted quickly that night arresting three men, threw them in jail and watched them get out on bond without knowing what they now believe, that those same three men had assaulted maslin that same night. maslin is the father of a 22- month-old baby. maslin was attacked avenue attended a nats game and stopped at this local bar on friday, august 17th. he was assaulted as he walked home, found on this porch it at 6:00 in the morning so beaten and incoherent police thought he was having a seizure. serious brain injuries, brain surgery, coma, critical condition, now mending but slowly, robbed for his cell phone. >> i can't say enough about how

heartbreaking it is to see that something is simple as a piece of property or cell phone will cause someone the type of injury and grief that these three individuals have caused the maslin family and they will live with for the rest of their life. >> it appears police had maslin's attackers in custody even before maslin was found on that capitol hill porch. >> the same three suspects were arrested following a robbery that same night, and the 1800 block of 18th street and charged with robbery. in that case it was an armed robbery. they were released pretrial and now are being charged with mr. maslin's armed robbery. >> police released this video after the assault believing one of the men shown here was using maslin's credit card to buy gas. the car has been linked to one of the suspects and it, too, is now in police hands. the chief offered few details wednesday night. >> there is very little that we can talk about right now.

i'm not going to comment on that at this point. i can't comment on that, no. i really can't comment on that. i can't comment on that. >> reporter: well, to be fair to the chief the lawyers tell us that charging documents will tell us more. three suspects, aged 17 to 21. anita. >> thank you, gary. more breaking news. a man is beaten and robbed in downtown washington, and tonight police are on the lookout for three masked men. they were wearing white shirts with burgundy stripes. this all went down just after 8:00 at 19th and l street. the victim in the hospital with serious injuries although not life threatening. more breaking news of a violent nature out of montgomery county. sky 9 was just over a cvs where a man was found with multiple gunshot wounds. it happened within the hour. we're told they think the man was shot somewhere else, then managed to make his way to the drugstore on montgomery village

avenue. we don't know his condition. hoping to get off the sidelines and into the game, a possible deal may be in the works to get those locked out nfl referees back to work and soon. >> the refs want higher salaries and guaranteed pensions, something the nfl has not budged on. our ken mole less -- ken molestina remains. >> reporter: hello, ken molestina is not here. i'm his replacement reporter. and i've got to tell you, it really [ bleep ] stinks. >> i'll take from the here, kevin, thank you very much. similar to replacement reporters, the nfl's substitute referees seem to be on their way out, and if pro football lovers have it their way, it could happen very soon. depending on who you ask these days, an nfl game could either be four quarters of hill layer tee or frustration. it's all thanks to unqualified

replacement refs who just can't catch a break. >> to try to put replacement officials up there i thought was an unwinnable position from the beginning. >> reporter: james brown of cbs sports says what's been asked of the replacement refs is a monumental task that not even the best of them could undertake, but that's something that locked out refs were expecting. >> we knew this was going to happen. you've brought in people that don't have the skills. >> reporter: after the debacle that ended the game between the packers and seahawks both sides are back at the table trying to hash out a deal to bring back the professional refs. >> they're much closer, we do know that but that's really all we know. >> reporter: although they've taken one step forward, the crab walk that got them in this mess isn't out of the question. >> there is no daily imminent. >> according to j.b., what is imminent is a further deterioration of the game but the issue isn't resolved fast. >> players are no different than students. if a substitute teacher comes into the classroom, you are

going to test that tub stie do you tell teacher for all he or she is worth and that's exactly what's happening. >> if a deal is reached soon, and we're hearing that may very well happen, he tells us he and the rest of the locked-out referees can be ready to go as early as tomorrow. >> we are grateful that the real reporter is in action tonight. more on that referee lockout later on in sports. new at 11:00, this image of president obama as a cave man causing some controversy. it was posted on the mecklenburg county republican committee facebook page wailing some other pictures of the president that weren't too flattering. the head of the party isn't amused, and neither is george allen. he attended a luncheon and learned about the pictures afterwards and his spokesperson tells us, quote, george allen strongly condemns such imagery. regardless of its source this has noplace in our politics. we did reach out to his

opponent, tim kaine. his office released this statement. this harsh rhetoric are exactly the kind of divisiveness we don't need. we checked a short time ago and that facebook page has been taken down. the race for the white house was clearly focused on ohio today. both president obama and republican nominee mitt romney made stops in the critical battleground state today. more than 5,000 supporters welcomed the president to bowling green state university. he told the crowd there four more years of his administration would be good for the middle class. >> the country doesn't succeed when only the rich get richer. we succeed when the middle class gets bigger. >> the economy is governor romney's key issue. in bedford heights, ohio. he worked to convince voters he has a better plan for getting more americans back to work. >> we have got to open more trade to get more good jobs for americans and i will do that. >> a new cbs news poll just out

shows the want a 10-point lead right now over mitt romney in ohio. virginia, of course, another battleground state, right here tomorrow morning mitt romney will attend a veterans rally in springfield. derek. anita, there was a vigil held tonight for that herndon family found dead thrin eel home, and people who knew the peter sons gathered at the floris urn night methodist church. counselors were at westkneeled high today where 16-year-old matthew was a student. his 13-year-old brother christopher was an 8th grader at rachel carson middle school. two weeks after a teen was murdered while working to school his killer is still out there. tonight police met with concerned community members at that time central high school. that is where 18-year-old markel ross was student. ross was shot the morning of september 11th. people are urging anyone with

information, please call them. also tonight, police and community leaders led a neighborhood walk in kettering, maryland. they were handing out flyers about yet another unsolved murder. this was 17-year-old honor student amber stanley who was shot in her own bedroom. police are offering a reward of $25,000 for information that helps catch that killer. new tonight, the union representing pepco's work hears rejected and turned down what pepco called its final contract offer. that puts the union on a path to a strike. pepco has always said a strike would not affect systems. meanwhile pepco customers will pay more to keep the lights on but not as much more as you the till tee had asked. pepco asked the d.c. public service commission for a rate hike that would have added $5 to the average consumer's monthly bill. what the commission okayed is a rate hike that will add $2.60 on average. it is going to be awhile before the washington monument reopens to all the visitors. today the national park service

announced a contractor has been chosen to repair the damage caused by last year's earthquake. the $9.6 million contract awarded to the same company that built the ronald reagan building. scaffold willing go up within the next two months but the monument is likely to be closed until 2014. what is the longest that you've worked for any one company? safe to say a local man has got you beat. today he was honored for 70 years of military and civil service. he joined the navy back in 1942 and worked as junior radio aircraft inspector in philadelphia. now he's here in washington where he oversees billions of dollars as the associate director of small business. >> do you like coming to work every day? >> i look forward to it. it's always surprises waiting when i get there. >> what's the best part of your job? >> well, when you're fully

occupied. >> everybody likes to be fully occupied. to honor his seven decades of service the navy yard took a moment to officially recognize his commitment and ethic. mr. t, as they call him has no plans to retire even though next month he celebrates his 90th birthday. >> does your teenager drink? wait until you see what alcohol can do to the brain. the damage they're doing now that could haunt them down the road. >> and next, police may be closer to finding jimmy hoffa's body. we'll tell you where he just may be coming up. topper. >> 84 today, a little touch of summer. here's your wake-up weather. you are going to need sunglasses and maybe an umbrella. 58 to 66 at 5:00. mid-60s to mid-70s by 9:00. i think the early morning hours will be dry. look for a dry commute. we're tracking a hefty thunderstorm on live doppler. we'll talk about the potential for more storms tomorrow evening and tomorrow night.

for 37 years now we've been wondering and speculating what could have happened to jimmy hoffa's body. friday we could have an answer when police in michigan will dig up the cement at this home. they got a tip saying a bed was

buried down there the same time the former teamsters boss disappeared. they did a radar test and it confirms that something is buried beneath that concrete. tonight, singer and entertainer andy williams is being fondly remembered. ♪ moon river whiter than a mail ♪ >> williams is best known for that classic moon river. he died at the age 1r-8 4. his career started at age 7. he was singing with his brothers in iowa. at 19 he began sing on steve allen's tonight show. williams had his own show for nine years. in 1991 he moved to been son, missouri, where he opened the moon river theater. williams is survived by his wife and three children. all right, here's a sobering thought. the earlier your teenager starts drinking alcohol, the more likely he or she is to develop a dependency that could haunt him or her for a lifetime. research reveals that the brain

is changing dramatically during the adolescent years establishing critical functions like decision making and impulse control. but as an agree i can't mckaren reports, alcohol can have a tremendously negative effect just as the brain is at its most vulnerable. >> reporter: an iconic anti- drug ad of the 1980s. >> this is drugs. this is your brain on drugs. any questions? >> reporter: no questions at all about the impact of drugs on the brain. and now there's new research that reveals the dramatic effect of alcohol on the developing brains of adolescents. this image shows the brain of a 15-year-old who doesn't drink. >> where you see a lot of color and it's bright, there's a lot of activity. the teenager who didn't drink heavily, his brain is functioning at high level. >> reporter: this is the brain of a 15-year-old who is a regular drinker. >> the teen who was drinking heavily is not very active, not

functioning at a high level. >> reporter: contrast is startling, as is the impact of regular alcohol consumption on the day-to-day activities of a teenager. >> there are about a million teens each year who excuse me five or more drinks at least five times a month. as group they are much more likely to engage in behaviors that put themselves and others at risk. their brain starts to struggle at performing basic tasks, like the things that would you do in school, such as working memory, where you have to learn some information, keep it active in memory for a little while and use it. they're more likely to drive after drinking which means they're more likely to be in crashes, or they're more likely to carry a weapon, be in fights. not surprisingly they're more likely to be injured in fights. they're more likely to experience sexual assault. they're more likely to attempt suicide. >> reporter: only in recent years has research revealed that the adolescent brain is

still developing from age 10 to 20 and that alcohol consumption can play a critical role. >> there are nearly 700,000 college students who are assaulted by another drinking college student. >> reporter: as kingston points out, that's more than the population of washington. >> imagine if everyone in the city of washington were assaulted by a drinking college student. that would be on the front page night after night until something was done about it. >> reporter: consider what's happened with tobacco. a major turnaround took place when people learned smokers weren't just harming themselves but others what were breathing secondhand smoke. >> i would be willing to argue that the secondhand effects of alcohol are much more immediate and much more dramatic than the secondhandesques of tobacco. >> reporter: one case in ., 40% of the people who die in crashes involving alcohol are people other than the driver. and the young tear drinking driver, the higher the percentage of those killed or

injured. andrea mccarren, 9news now. >> it's still unclear whether the damage alcohol does to the adolescent brain is permanent but one thing is clear. long-term studies that followed these heavy drinkers up to 10 years after klemm found they were far less likely to have high paying jobs. we move on to mona lisa 2.0. the group in switzerland says da vinci actually painted two mona lisas, the one that's in paris and this one here. the group says tomorrow it will prove that da vinci actually did paint this version of the mona lisa first. 11 to 12 years before the one we all know about. the group says this one is bigger, has brighter colors and was painted on canvas, unlike the one in the louvre which was painted on wood. but the posture, the folded hands and famous expression, all very similar. so that is interesting. >> the first one, she's much prettier in the first than the second. >> you see a big difference.

>> oh yeah. >> what about our weather? today was pretty. >> today was nice, a touch of summer. warming a gin tomorrow. we're watching a cold front that's going to get very close to the metro area, then play cat and mouse. we're tracking now a big thunderstorm. first things first. our michael & son weather cam. for the most part, 95% of you, it's fies out. after a high of 84 we're down to 75. light rain at national. the dew point has come up. 63. the pressure has risen quite a bit. we'll widen radar and you can see most of the activity went north of us, went from ohio into pennsylvania but now we have another line that's beginning to set up to the west. some of these are hefty. one storm has moved through fauquier county, moved through prince william county and is now about to approach i-95. flash flooding is possible with this storm. there is not a warning on it, but some very heavy rain now down around the airport, crossing 95, headed toward

clinton and headed toward northern charles county and southern sections of prince george's county. you can see the red, that's rainfall rates of one inch per hour. we'll put this into motion. where it will go in the next hour? for the most part it moves east- southeast, holds together pretty w. still fairly intense it is a clears andrews and morning side and over towards forestville. flash flooding possible in those areas around old town in the next hour or so. that's the only storm we have on map. the futurecast, by morning i think we're going to have some clouds to the north but a dry commute. nothing crazy heavy. then a lot of sunshine during the afternoon. want to walk to lunch? no worries there. in the afternoon the atmosphere is still fairly unstable. right now computer thinks maybe 7:00, 8:00 to the west, out towards leesburg, then these work their way through the immediate metro area. again we're seeing oranges and reds. pretty huff stuff. this is 24 hours from now. we're going the keep the chance for thunderstorms in tomorrow as well. your headlines look like this.

remains warm tomorrow. we should hit 80 again. a shower or thunderstorm possible tomorrow, especially late in the day and tomorrow night. friday is unsettled but not bad. we're looking at saturday unsettled but not bad, either. we're getting there. for overnight, a chance for shower or thunderstorm estimate only one of them on the radar. 58 to 62 and winds out of the southwest at 10 to 15. kind of breezy and warm. now, the next three days, code green. nice tomorrow in terms of temperatures, 80. a chance for a shower at the rains game as they host the browns. saturday a few showers and 47 but not bad. enough sunshine. do not change your plans. sunday, yeah, a shower or two, but i think you can get your bike ride in if you're a rider. and we get into monday. nats come back to town. gorgeous, low 70s. mid-70s tuesday, upper 70s

wednesday. are you ready for some football with some actual referees? >> oh, yes. looks like it might actually be happening. the craziness appears to be about over. breaking news surrounding the referee lockout. i've got the latest on that situation. plus, nationals rebound big time in philadelphia. sports is next.

it appears the end of this ref mess could be over. it's being reported tonight by several sources that the nfl and the referees association appear to have reached an agreement that could end the lockout. nfl officials tweeted earlier, looks like the nfl refs will be working starting thursday in baltimore. a deal appears to be completed. they could be on the field. that would be a quick turn around, but referee terry stopped by wusa tomorrow. he says the real refs have been preparing all season for this moment. >> we've been studying. we're aware of all the new results. we've been work on tests and keeping ourselves in shape. and we're ready to go at a moment's notice. we could, from our perspective, do it. it would be up to the league.

>> let's head to baseball. nationals took a big step forward in philadelphia tonight. second bater of the night, brace harper, gets things going with a two-run shot. top nine, jayson werth sends a ball up the middle. bryce harper would add another. nationals beat the phillies 8-4 lowering their magic number to four. talk about some hot bats, it was a slugfest at camden yards. more one-sided slugfest. the orioles hosting the blue jays. seven home runs tonight. ties a franchise record. chris davis and manny machado hit two apiece. believe it or not, the nba is set to open training camp soon. the washington wizards feel they're in the midst of that rebuild we've been hearing about that they started when john hall was drafted. however, head coach randy whitman says now is the time

for wall to take charge and help turn the tide. >> this has got to be a big step for him in taking that next step, and he's done a lot of those things this summer to try to make that happen. and, you know, work ethic being a big part of it. and finally tonight, what a time in washington, d.c. sports. check out the cover of this week's sports illustrated. the headline says washington- baltimore, the unlikely sports capitol. if you look ?ierksd i've got it right here, change they can believe in. >> how exciting. it's got redskins, orioles, nationals, ravens, everybody. >> a long time coming. >> didn't look like they mentioned the wizards, though. somehow that didn't get on the list. i wonder why. >> we'll be right back, everybody.

all right, referees may be back at work. we, however, gorge home. >> we are. don't forget we're always on at wusa9.com. letterman is next. if something happens with the refs, we'll talk about it tomorrow morning.